Recorder (Sept. 1944)

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Volume 50

TORONTO, SEPTEMBER, 1944

Number 3

. . after tjje Jubilee . . .

The Bible College will enter upon the
second half century of its history with
the beginning of the next session on
Tuesday, September 19th. The opening
service will be held at 10 o'clock that
morning. It will be of a special charac-
ter, because the celebration of the Jubi-
lee will come to a head in the events of
that week. The student body will be
joined by many former students of the
past half century, gathered back for
their special Alumni Conference. After
this opening service, the rest of the day
and the remaining days of the week will
be given over to this Conference. A
special description of the Conference
will be found on another page.

Although the attendance of students
is likely to be reduced again during the
coming season, yet the full College cur-
riculum will be carried on without any
curtailment. No appointment has been
made to fill Miss McCarthy's place as
the special teacher of the Preparatory
Class, nor is any appointment likely to
be made until we enter the post-war
period. In the meantime, Dr. Waters
will take full charge of the Class, giving
up some of his other work in order to
do so. A new series of lectures on the
History of Missions will be given by
Dr. McNicol, thus making the depart-
ment of Historical Christianity a three

years' course of study as it was originally
intended to be.

The addresses given at our Jubilee
Graduation in the spring bore witness to
one outstanding feature of the Toronto
Bible College. As Dr. Cody said, "The
institution has kept a splendid central
course, basing its teaching on the his-
toric faith of the Church, on the things
that are fundamental." This is the
straight course which the College must
continue to keep after the Jubilee.

During the past fifty years two ex-
treme tendencies have seriously aflfected
the life and work of the Christian
Church. One of these is that form of
Modernism which regards Christianity
only as a means of making this a better
world. The other is that form of Funda-
mentalism which preaches what one of
the leading evangelical theologians of
the day describes as ""a fantastic apoca-
lypticism." Both of these tendencies miss
the essential and fundamental element
in Christianity, and both have gone off
the centre. The Divine blessing that we
have enjoyed during all the past years
has been largely due to the fact that the
College has refused to yield to either of
these tendencies, but has maintained a
consistent witness to the heart of the
Christian faith.

J. McN.

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9n Alumni iHinisiterial S>pmposium

The Toronto Bible College does not profess to educate men for the ministry
of the Church. It was not established for that purpose. But it has proved to be an
efficient agency for recruiting men for the ministry. In the course of its history
more than 250 young men have gone from its classes on into the ministry of their
respective churches. Many of them came to the College with no definite idea
about their life work, but simply because of an urge to know more about the
Bible. During their course they came under another urge — an urge to preach the
Gospel.

There are ministers serving the four major denominations in Canada, and
many of the other denominations, who would not be in the ministry to-day but
for the start they got in the Bible College. We have asked a representative cross-
section of these Alumni of ours, scattered throughout the Dominion and in the
United States, for a brief statement setting forth whatever value the Bible College
course may have contributed to their preparation for the ministry as they now look
back upon it. These testimonies are presented herewith; and as was the case with
the Missionary Symposium contained in the March number of the Recorder, they
are suggestive and enlightening.

In the midst of all the varied experiences reflected in this symposium, one
thing stands out clearly. It was during their Bible College course that these
ministers obtained a knowledge of the Bible and learned how to use it. The Bible
College curriculum is built up on the principle that the fundamental and most
important element in the equipment of a Christian worker — and of a minister —
is a knowledge of the Word of God. It is for this reason that the emphasis is
placed on a thorough study of the English Bible, and not on a study of the Greek
and Hebrew text.

A knowledge of the original languages has its own great value, but it cannot
take the place of a patient and continued study of the whole content of Divine
revelation as this lies in the sacred Scriptures. It is as the student learns to think
through the Bible for himself — and he can do this only as he reads it in his own
familiar language — that he comes to realize that the mind of the living God
speaks through the inspired Word. As he does this, his own mind is enlarged and
his spiritual life is deepened. In this respect the Bible College bears witness to the
truth stated by the late Principal Forsyth a generation ago when the churches in
England were dealing with the problem of men for the ministry: "The ministry
must be a bibliocracy; it must know its Bible better than any other book."'

Rev. J. T. Gawthrop 09, United Church of Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia:
For over thirty years I have been engaged in Home Mission work in the West, and
through all those years the course which I took at the Toronto Bible College has
been of the utmost value to me in my ministry. Indeed, without it I am afraid I
should have been a failure. I early discovered its value in visiting the sick, for it
enabled me to find some passage of Scripture that was suitable to the needs of the
sick. I discovered its value when I was called to officiate at a funeral, for it
enabled me to bring a message of comfort to the bereaved; the Word of God is
full of comfort to those who have lost their loved ones. I have made it a practice
when visiting to read the Word and offer prayer, and knowing the Word as I had
it taught me in the Bible College, I could usually find a passage that was suitable
for the needs of the family I was visiting.

I found the Bible College course invaluable in the preparation of sermons.
Often when I have wondered what to preach about, I have typed out all the pas-
sages I could find on a certain subject, such as 'The New Birth," "Temptation,"

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"Salvation," "The Resurrection," and I have found abundant material for a good
sermon. I remember one sermon, written after the above fashion, which I called
"Revenge or Forgiveness," was so favorably commented on by a lawyer in my
congregation who was formerly a Methodist minister that I sent it to the "Homi-
letic Review," and they published it.

All through the years of my ministry I have been thankful that I attended
the Toronto Bible College. The course has proven its value on many a difficult
field, and wherever I have gone people have spoken of me as a preacher of "the
Word," and many people have expressed their thankfulness to me for "holding
forth the Word of life." The College course opened to me the Bible as no other
course could do, and it taught me to use it effectively in proclaiming Christ as the
Son of God and the Saviour of the world.

Rev. W. E. Atkinson '10, Waverley Road Baptist Church, Toronto: The particular
aspects of the Bible College teaching to which I would bear my testimony are:
the broad principles of interpretation and our good will to all men. I do not
mean "loose" principles of interpretation, but "broad" principles. This can be
illustrated by something which happened in Dr. Elmore Harris' classes. We were
studying 2 Peter 1:19-21, and Dr. Harris called our attention to the punctuation
between verses 19 and 20. He moved the colon back three words, causing the
passage to read: "in your hearts knowing this first," instead of "until the day star
arises in your hearts," thus destroying the key doctrine the liberalist takes out of the
verse, that all men have God in their hearts.

Then just this further word. We were taught by precept, example and asso-
ciation, to "follow peace with all men," and "do good unto all men, especially
unto them who are of the household of faith;" and if I have succeeded in any
way during my more than twenty-five years in the ministry, I can attribute some
of it to these broad principles of interpretation and to the ethical standards the
Bible College upheld. Let any man be devoid of these, he cannot glorify God
and have a good report among his brethren. Neither can he bring into being a
healthy condition of Christianity through his ministry. Nor will he adorn the
doctrine of God his Saviour. May I quote: "If these things be in you, ye shall
neither be barren nor unfruitful."

Rev, Geo. A. Williams '13, one of the Field Secretaries of the United Church of
Canada: 1 am glad to bear testimony to the benefits received from my studies at the
Toronto Bible College. In looking back over the years since my graduation in
1913, I can see how in at least three ways I have been greatly helped. First, it
gave me a deeper appreciation and more thorough knowledge of the Bible as
the Word of God. Secondly, it warmed my heart and gave me a desire to win
others to Christ; and thirdly, it made me forever missionary in spirit and purpose.
For these and many other benefits received I am deeply grateful and wish the
College ever increasing success.

Rev. Edwin R. Baker '15, Onondaga Hill Presbyterian Church, Syracuse, New
York: Thirty years ago I was a student at the Toronto Bible College. Following
my graduation a period of nearly twelve years was spent as a missionary in a
foreign land. On my forced return I took a seminary course, and now for the past
sixteen years I have had a pastorate at home.

If there is one thing above another which has sustained me in evangelical
preaching throughout the years, it has been the instruction received from the Bible
and the spiritual atmosphere of the Toronto Bible College. All my class-room
notes were destroyed, but the life imparted from the Word of God, with the true,

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sane, evangelical teaching of the essential doctrines, and the general daily unfolding
of the Scriptures, left a deposit in my life which I trust, by God's grace, I shall
never lose.

I say this with a deep feeling of gratitude to God in that I was so providentially
led to a place where I was established in the Christian faith. If it were in my
power, I would have every student for the ministry take a course in some Bible
College before attending a seminary; and among such institutions the Toronto
Bible College holds a very unique place.

Rev. W. Constantine Perry, D.D. '18, Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church,
Toronto: As a graduate of the Toronto Bible College, I consider it a very great
privilege indeed to offer a brief testimony as to my personal conception of the
College and to its Christian value. Although it has been my lot to have had
Christian training in other institutions, I sincerely consider the training at the
Bible College the most potent factor in any achievements I may have had in my
vocation as a Christian minister. My registration at the Bible College was the
ultimate result of my desire for a thorough knowledge of the Bible, which I con-
sidered, even in my early days, as indispensable for the work of the ministry.

The teaching of the Bible as the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit,
and the fundamental doctrines of the Christian rcHgion, formed the basis upon
which the curriculum had been built, making the college exempt from all contro-
versial criticisms; and if any criticism arises, it becomes its own defence. The
enrolment of students from various churches and denominations, with lectures
causing no controversy, is an evidence of the unity of the Scriptures from Genesis
to Revelation, which has been and still is a special feature of the College.

Such a teaching led us all to see God as our Father, Christ as our Redeemer,
and man as our brother, causing us to forget our denominationalism, so that when
Christianity is spoken of, it is not from any sectarian point of view, but purely
from the standpoint of the New Testament. The prayer-life of the College has
been a tower of strength to me all through my ministry, and will continue to be so
as long as God lendeth me breath.

Rev. Herbert A. Foster '20, Los Angeles, California. I was led to enroll at Toronto
Bible College upon the advice of my pastor in Detroit, who formerly attended
McMaster University. When I think of T.B.C. I think of at least four things: (I)
Its warm Christian atmosphere, (2) The sincerity, piety and efficiency of its
instructors, (3) The practical helpfulness of its course of study, (4) The way it
led me to know God and His Word in a more personal and fuller sense.

The warm Christian atmosphere I found existing at T.B.C. regardless of race
or denomination, giving expression to true Christian unity, probably had its
influence under God in leading me to inaugurate "The Unity of Christian Faith
Conference" movement in Los Angeles. Then too, I shall never forget the sense
of awe which swept over me as I opened the door of the prayer room for the
first time and beheld the students down upon their knees. I knew then that I was
in the right place. Those quiet hours were of great help and inspiration to me.

The inspiration I received from the Principal and the other instructors, as
they taught the Word of God with sincerity and great patience, will ever be
cherished, and I shall carry with me their example. I have been greatly helped
in the preparation of sermons throughout the years, and also in following out
further studies in Theology, by my T.B.C. notes which I still use as I search the
Scriptures.

I think my richest experience was finding God to be an ever present help. I
reached College with insufficient funds to carry me through, and on the second

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day God opened the way for me to obtain work after school hours, and this
supplied my needs. At T.B.C. I learned to trust in God, and I have never doubted
Him since.

Rev. Arthur Leggett '23, Presbyterian Church, Beauharnois, Quebec: The main
features of value which I found in the Bible College course were these: (1) I
received a grounding in the great verities of the Christian faith which has stood
the test of time and experience. (2) That which has been of inestimable worth
to me as a Christian minister is the comprehensive working knowledge of the
Bible gained at Toronto Bible College. (3) The practical training received
through actual work done in connection with the course of study, e.g., Sunday
School teaching, personal evangelism, conducting meetings, speaking, praying and
reading the Bible in public, I have found of permanent value. Also of real worth
was the experience gained relating to the service of praise. (4) Along with the
course of study and training, I received something else which I regard as most
precious and of enduring worth, namely, the gracious influence upon my life of
members of the faculty and the student body. Coming from a community where
there seemed but two kinds of Christianity, the worldly church type and the
unnaturally emotional, it was an impressive revelation to me to see the Christian
life in normal expression — strong, sweet, joyful, true and courageous. Valued
friendships were formed which time has but mellowed. Denominational affiliations
present no barrier to the enjoyment of this delightful fellowship.

Rev. John H. Slimon, Main Street Baptist Church, St. John, New Brunswick: Words
do not readily come with which to appraise the value of the Toronto Bible College
in my work as a minister of the Gospel for nearly thirty years. Yes! I'm almost
an old timer, and out of my experience I can testify that the love of the Book,
the understanding of the Book, and the joy in the preaching of the Book were
all imparted to me in the T.B.C.

I am not a graduate of the College, but the fact that I am in the ministry I
owe to the Bible College; and what I learned there has kept me in the work through
the years. I still have my notes, still refer to them with profit, and shall never
cease to thank God for such men as Dr. John McNicol, Dr. F. S. Weston, and Dr.
Andrew Imrie whose classes I attended.

I do not claim to have been eminently successful either in my pulpit or
pastoral work, but the Lord has graciously blessed both; and next to the marvel-
lous grace of God, I gratefully pay tribute to the teaching and influence of the
Toronto Bible College. We have a glorious Lord, and His glories were enhanced
to me by the teaching of the men herein mentioned. May the blessing of the Lord
descend in great measure on the College in this Jubilee year, and through all the
years to come.

Rev. R. E. Stanley Hunt '25 : Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. The Toronto Bible College
enabled me to take a course of training and instruction which was somewhat more
intense and helpful than I realized when in attendance. The atmosphere contri-
buted greatly to my life. The apostolic injunction urged upon students in the
words on the banner over the platform in the Assembly Hall, "Let the word
of Christ dwell in you richly," still speaks to me, just as it did twenty-two years
ago. My attitude toward the Word of God became fixed, and I rejoice that it has
been found to be an adequate revelation of the Saviour.

Memories of what was learned in lectures, in fellowship with the faculty
and students, and in times of trial and earnest desire to know the will of God
for my life, even now bless the soul. The experience of serving Christ in hospital

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visitation, in city mission work, and in other forms of service, laid a foundation
for pressing on in the same efforts for Christ. In the College I was introduced
to a study of infinite magnitudes, and in seeking to serve Christ by fitting His
Word to the needs of men, it has been increasingly glorious to realize that the
sphere in which a believer is placed — "in Christ" — is one of exaltation to a posi-
tion in the heavenlies.

As I go on preaching the Word of God, I have felt that the College aided
me greatly in knowing that the Father fills the life with true happiness, and in
seeing that the whole world is within the scope of His love and His redemption.
This means a missionary-hearted ministry.

Rev. Alex McLean '30, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Willowdale, Ontario:
One could write appreciatively of intangible values which nurture the Christian
life. However, a Bible College should also provide something concrete enough
to which the pragmatic test can be applied — though I am not a pragmatist. This
the T.B.C. does provide. For me the promise of a working knowledge of the
Bible in the English language was fulfilled. It goes without saying this is
invaluable for a minister of the Word.

The devotional approach to the Scriptures in T.B.C. provides an excellent
groundwork for anyone who goes on to a theological college, where in the nature
of the case the approach is perhaps more critical than it is devotional — using
"critical" in its best and proper sense.

A professor, for whom I have a high regard, when I had interrupted with a
question or two one day, quizzically said to me, "You are becoming a thorn in the
flesh." Turning to the class he added, "The reason is, gentlemen, he knows his
Bible." Forget the egotism that seems to emerge in telling this, and lay hold
of the real point, which is that the professor was unconsciously paying tribute
to the Toronto Bible College.

Rev. Burton S. W. Hill '33, Society of Friends, Cincinnati, Ohio: The course of
study taken at the Toronto Bible College has proven of inestimable value to me for
many reasons, of which I will mention only two.

1. A knowledge of the Bible, the study of which is at the very centre of the
Bible College work, is basic in the life and work of the minister. It has been
declared by many that "no one is educated until he knows his Bible." The minister
may lack many qualifications; but to lack a knowledge of the Bible is unforgiveable.
As yet, I know of no other institution of learning which recognizes, and endea-
vours to meet, this prime need of the ministry as completely as the Toronto
Bible College.

2. The friendly, devotional, and interdenominational fellowship of faculty
and students is evidence of the basic unity of our Christian Faith, and might be
termed a foretaste of the kind of life for which the world of humanity cries out
today. I can truly say that one may lay well a foundation for the ministry in the
Bible College course and fellowship.

Rev. Horace Dulmage *34, Associate Professor of Philosophy, McMaster Univer-
sity: Looking back over the ten years of ministry which have rolled around since
graduation, I find the most important and continuing aspects of life at the College
represented in attitudes of mind and spirit which when acknowledged have
embodied effective principles of service. These attitudes are principally two in
number.

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The first attitude is toward God and His redemptive work, which when clearly
recognized makes the minister aware that he is being used in an on-going process
immeasurably greater than his own small efforts. When consciously held this
attitude is the basis of morale and strength. It becomes also the foundation for a
highly meaningful fellowship as a co-worker with God.

The second attitude is toward the Word of God, which comes to men only as
a redemptive revelation. To know God and His ways requires the sharing of His
life. No man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Spirit, who breathes upon man
the breath of life. Ideas and abstract conceptions are of themselves inadequate
to convey the meaning of life. They must be "filled out" by an experience of God
before they can be significantly comprehended.

This attitude makes high demands upon the minister of Christ who is not
content with the words of man's wisdom alone nor with a merely verbal response.
Yet when in his people he sees the Word working by the Spirit, he knows the
joy of witnessing that breath of life and liberty among them which they receive
from no other source. When this occurs the ministry reaches its highest level of
effectiveness, provided of course that the movement is wisely guided. At this
point also the two attitudes merge, for the minister sees himself as but the instru-
ment in the great redeeming work of God.

These two attitudes I find to be the most continuing and valuable. My inter-
pretations of Gods Word, of life and salvation, have in some respects altered since
leaving the College but the attitudes remain and arc now held, as I see it, with
increasing rather than diminishing significance.

Rev. Donald Stockford '34, Church of Christ, Lubec, Maine, U.S.A.: Looking
back over a period of almost ten years since graduation from Toronto Bible College,
the memory of the three years of rich fellowship and blessing glows with increas-
ing richness. To set forth some main values received in the light of almost ten years
in the active pastoral ministry is difficult, not from lack of such values, but from
their abundance and variety. The unique ministry of T.B.C., with its particular
type and setup of fellowship and teaching, has been of inestimable value.

There comes to mind the most important matter of all as to vital Christian
teaching and preparation for Christian service — that of the central place given to
God's Word in the work of the college. An emphasis on the Bible as the Word
of God, the divine message to man, without an endeavour to force any particular
interpretation, and without criticism of those who do not follow certain definite
theological ideas and trends, is a blessing one finds in all too few institutions for
the training of the ministry.

My alloted space is filling rapidly. A word must be said of the wondrous
fellowship enjoyed with the faculty and the student body, representing many
groups and shades of theological and doctrinal background. At T.B.C. is found
that oneness in Christ so necessary to the on-going of the Church of Christ in
the world. Under the guidance of a consecrated and devoted faculty, which in
itself has representatives of various branches of the Church, we received that which
has aided us to be helpful in the glorious march that leads to the oneness of Spirit
prayed for by our Lord Jesus Christ.

My space is more than gone. A word of appreciation and gratitude to the
faculty, some now departed, consecrated. Christlike, and ever willing to help.
These, under the guidance of the Spirit, are Toronto Bible College.

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Rev, C. Alvin Armstrong '35, First Baptist Church, Sudbury, Ontario: 1 think
the most valuable contribution the Toronto Bible College has made to my ministry
is its methods of Biblical interpretation — letting the Book have the first and fullest
opportunity to speak for itself. It is Commentary No. 1 on my bookshelf — the
criterion of judgment for the rest of my library. After a thorough study of the
text, the context, and its relation to the rest of the Book, if I have any time, I
consult the other commentaries about possible applications of the Truth to this
particular day or circumstance. But the light the Bible can shed comes first.

This method has saved me time; it has saved me money; and, I think, it has
often saved me embarrassment, for the latest commentary to be issued, if it goes
beyond application, is apt to be in disagreement with the one that came out the
year before! In the Bible College I learned that what the Bible needs is not so
much re-writing as re-reading, not so much defending as declaring.

Thanks to the Toronto Bible College, my ministry is (if I may use a rambling
term) optimistically evangelical. There is an evangelicalism that is fundamentally
pessimistic. It scowls at the world, berating the encroachments of evil and the
indiscretions of church members. This is. doubtless, a legitimate pastime; but
we must beware of sadism.

The Toronto Bible College hammered the idea into me that, like Jesus, we are
not sent merely to condemn the world but to save it. I have been everlastingly grate-
ful for that emphasis. The world is wicked, certainly; it always was, and, so far
as it is pagan, it always will be. How surprised we should be if, like Jonah, we
saw Nineveh change overnight! Human nature in church members has sometimes
an obstinate hangover from the unregenerate "night before." But — this is our
emphasis — Christ is establishing His rule, here and now, in this kind of world, in
hearts that at first are, in truth, no cleaner than a stable. He is the groomsman
who sweeps the stable! He is greater in His up-puU than the world is in its down-
pull! He is leading to victory!

In my ministerial contacts I have found that more persons respond to salvation
in terms of fulfilment than in terms merely of fire insurance. I am grateful to
the Toronto Bible College for its emphasis on the positive side of salvation.

Rev. Robert J. Chubb '36, Associated Gospel Churches, Toronto: In a very real
sense, " we are a part of all that we have met," and to spend a period of three years
within the sacred precincts of such an institution as the Toronto Bible College
could not fail to leave its imprint upon the life of every student.

A minister is a man of God, and therefore a man who should exhibit a God-
like character to his congregation and the world at large. As students, and often as
young and immature Christians, we entered College with a simple initial faith in
Christ as Saviour, but with little more. Through the teaching, the fellowship and
the prayer life of the College, we were daily adding to our faith the cardinal vir-
tues of the Christian life as set forth by the Apostle Peter, "virtue, knowledge,
temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, love." The sum total of these
is Christian character, which is of major importance in equipping a man for the
ministry.

A minister is a man of books, but pre-eminently of "the Book," the Word
of God which liveth and abideth forever. As embryonic ministers we were being
schooled in "the Book," for during our College course we covered the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation. Paul exhorted Timothy as a young minister "to give atten-
tion to reading, exhortation and doctrine." The "reading" here, might well cover
the many books which we were required to read in college days. Looking back, we

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can see that this was not only necessary, but definitely profitable, for it has been
of untold value in helping to present spiritual truth from the Book of books.

A minister is a man who ministers, a very obvious statement. This is a duty
that requires preparation as well as piety, competence coupled with consecration.
Our primary need is a love for God and a passion for the souls of men, but that
alone would be comparable to zeal without knowledge. Our studies of Pastoral
Theology, of means and methods of effective evangelism, of logical and orderly
sermon construction, of Sunday School administration — these all have a place
in our ministry to young and old alike. Most of us out of practical experience
could add to what we have learned, but upon this original foundation we arc build-
ing our ministry, which we trust will redound to the glory of God and the blessing
of men.

Rev. Earl Sigston '36, Anglican Chaplain with the Canadian Army: It is difficult
for me to separate into phases the influence of T.B.C. and try to select one partic-
ular phase that is more significant than others. As I look back beyond the chaplain's
service, parish work in Western Canada, and Wycliffe College, the life of T.B.C.
has had somewhat of a steadying influence upon my life very difficult to express.
Attempting to describe this influence is much like trying to express one's innermost
feelings of the workings of the Holy Spirit. It has not been so much like having
been to college or school, but more like an experience which has become part of
my makeup.

Among the many things T.B.C. has meant to me is that I have been (particu-
larly in the Chaplain's Service) able to meet any particular branch of the many
branches of the Church Catholic with a better understanding, realizing fully that
we have our common ground — one Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Rev. Arthur J. Greer '37, United Church of Canada, Canora, Saskatchewan: The
majority of graduates from any institution of learning will be forever loyal to
their Alma Mater. However, there must be a "something different" about the
T.B.C, for numerous ministers, graduates of the approved theological colleges of
Canada, have been known to ask our men such questions as these: "Where on earth
were you taught to conduct meetings like that? Where did you learn to conduct
singing.^ How did you become so familiar with the Bible? "

The Toronto Bible College teaches its students to "do things." Book the-
ology and theory are of inestimable value, yet a man may be immersed in them,
and still be unable to inspire an audience. T.B.C. taught me, and then showed me
how to apply what I had learned. May God be praised for the department of
Practical "Theology!

People always get wise eventually to the presence or absence of insincerity.
I noted that the shallow, insincere student usually deepened, or else dropped out of
T.B.C. before the conclusion of his second year, for a sincere love toward God and
his fellow men is a requisite to fellowship within those walls. In Western Canada,
almost any degree of allowance will be made for failings and inabilities, but people
will always support and follow the minister who is genuine.

Evangelism is probably the most discussed topic in our twentieth century
Theology. Some have ruled it out as outmoded; others have made it a laughing
stock by their extravagances; but T.B.C. taught us to be sanely, intelligently and
intelligibly evangelistic — and it works! Best of all, T.B.C. taught us the Word of
God — not some fallible person's interpretation of it, but the genuine Word itself;
and it taught us to know the Incarnate Word Himself. God forever bless our
Alma Mater!

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Rev. Stanley Young, '37, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. : The training I received
at T.B.C. has certainly helped me to carry on in my small way the great work of
taking the Gospel to needy and hungry souls. The value of souls and the assistance
of the Holy Spirit in leading these souls to Christ, so much stressed at T.B.C, has
over and over again proven the driving force that has kept us at work.

Rev. Dow Sargeant '37, Mennonite Church, Singhampton. Ontario: Each day
we derive some new blessing from our course at T.B.C. An enlarged vision of the
need of a perishing world was ever kept to the forefront. We were taught how
the world could be reached and saved. This practical phase of evangelism, visi-
tation work in home and hospitals, assisting in various church activities, coupled
with a permeating devotional atmosphere while at college, is now of great assist-
ance in the ministry. Although not always a success, failure and disappointment
turn to encouragement at the remembrance of some message from our beloved
faculty.

While we may have entered the college with a firm belief in Mennonite
doctrines, through our college course those beliefs were strengthened and our love
of all God's children was increased, as we learned that as it was in T.B.C. so will
it be in heaven.

Rev. George Clement '37, Hughson Street Baptist Church, Hamilton, Ontario:
For a few years before entering College my Bible study ran into a few snags. I
couldn't reconcile what I found in the Bible with what certain teachers were
propagating, especially prophetically, and also regarding what they called, "rightly
dividing the word of truth " dispcnsationally. How thrilled I was, when, in those
delightful Bible lectures of our Principal, I found that the sound teaching based
on the principle of allowing the Bible to interpret itself was daily giving me
clearer sight until my soul was revelling in the spiritual treasures of the Word.
The result was that I found myself appreciating more and more the grandeur of
the Word. T.B.C lifted the Scriptures for me out of the petty realm of childish,
foolish, mundane notions. The sound, evangelical teaching of T.B.C. "magni-
fied the law, and made it honourable."' (Isa. 42: 21).

I also am greatly indebted to the Homiletical Class, and the criticism they gave
me one night after I had preached in one of our big campaigns. (We thought they
were "big" then). That incident (I had let them down badly that night) taught
me the necessity of constant preparation, of hard studying even when sure of your
sermon and its material. T.B.C. meant to me everything that God saw was need-
ful in my life work for the work He had planned for me.

Rev. Leonard Self "37, Presbyterian Church, Norval, Ontario: The Church of
Jesus Christ must emphasize the fact that the one Sovereign God is never known
apart from Jesus Christ, and that the Holy Spirit, through the Scriptures, can and
does reveal Him as God in human form, meeting us by sovereign grace in our need,
and bringing eternal life and full assurance of salvation. The greatest contribu-
tion the Toronto Bible College has given to my ministry is an emphasis on this
and other truths regarding the unique character and work of Christ for a world
lost in sin, which can never be brought into fellowship with God again apart from
sovereign grace through faith.

One other important contribution the Toronto Bible College is making, is
the wonderful intimate fellowship that is to be had there between student and
student, and between student and teacher, in things relating to "the unsearchable
riches of Christ." There is a sound and gracious Christian leadership manifested

THE BIBLE COLLEGE RECORDER H

there, with an emphasis upon the place the Holy Spirit occupies in the revelation
of the unique Christ of the Cross, now raised and glorified, the one Mediator
between God and man. Finally, the years at Toronto Bible College, regarded in
their true perspective, are a necessary foundation for the further study of theology
in the development of the man chosen and called of God to the ministry.

Rev. Frank Swackhammer '37, Baptist Church, Montreal, Quebec: My establish-
ment in the Christian way came late in life and in a cataclysmic fashion. I was
twenty-two when Christ met me face to face on my self-centred road and revol-
utionized my life. I had had a spiritual stirring early in my teens, but had wandered
far from the Christian way. Now as I look back I can see how God in His good-
ness has made all things to work together for good in my preparation for the
Christian ministry. Even as He makes the wrath of men to praise Him, so out of
my foolish wanderings He has given me something to help me understand what
men are seeking outside of Christ. But the greatest blessing of my preparation for
service came in His leading me to, and enabling me to finish, the course of studies
in the Toronto Bible College.

After a year at High School, to pick up what I had missed because of my
instability, I entered the Bible College in the fall of '34 and thus belong to class
'37. It was at Bible College that my Christian life became vital. The fellowship
with students, staff and faculty, opened for me the joys of the Christian family.
Prayer became a reality. The spiritual world was opened unto me, and as I fol-
lowed the studies through.the unfolding of the Divine drama of Sacred Revelation,
that world became real and near. It was here, too, that Jesus Christ became for me
the Living Word and I began to realize the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.
All of these, the fellowship, the prayer life, the unfolding of the Word, the
nearness and reality of Christ, combined to give me that which has meant blessing
and joy in my Christian life and ministry, and also a spiritual tone in my thinking.

In my university course and in the ministry which followed, I have found
that this shaping of my mind and outlook has helped me, more than I can say,
to look upon things from the standpoint of the Word of God. As I look over my
ministry, I find that my Bible College notes (now supported by the five volumes
published by Dr. McNicol) have made up the backbone of my preaching and
teaching. This means, thanks to the Bible College, that I am attempting to have
a Bible centred ministry.

Rev. Roy J. Irwin '39, United Church of Canada, Hamilton, Ontario: At our final
class fellowship meeting we were witnessing to what T.B.C. had meant to us, and
I testified that to me it meant a spiritual training and experience that was "to be
continued" all through life. The seed that was sown during those three years
must be cultivated and nourished in order that it may grow under the warm rays
of the Sun of Righteousness. This has been true in my experience of life as a
minister. I am profoundly thankful for this background of training for several
reasons.

First and foremost, because of the confident faith it gave me in a wonderful
Saviour and a loving Father. Then the study of the Scriptures gave me a founda-
tion upon which I have been building, and a revelation of the true nature of God's
dealings with men. Another element was the prayer meeting, where I found
the source of all spiritual power, and tapped the reservoirs of God for showers of
blessing in answered prayer. Hospital and house to house visitation opened new
avenues of service, thus bringing the mountain top experience into the valley of

_12 THE BIBLE COLLEGE RECORDER

human needs. How grateful I am for this training in balancmg faith with works.
Every detail of T.B.C. experience has, in some way or other, helped me in
trying to be a true under-shepherd of the great Shepherd of the sheep.

Rev. John Russell '39, Christie Street Baptist Church, Toronto: The Toronto Bible
College has to be thought of as an institution which God founded and man admini-
sters. It is possible to know the T.B.C. only through the thoughts it thinks, the
truths it teaches, and the characters it forms. The proper conception cannot be
gained by any isolated instance, but only as we see the results of its influence on
its graduates throughout the world and the tremendous amount of evangelical
enterprise carried on by them.

I am proud to be numbered among them. My call from God has not been
to the far fields. My work is scarcely a mile from the College grounds. But the
Spirit who guides my pathway so near to home is the same One who guides those
who are "the salt of the earth" in distant lands. Nearly every mission field has
felt the impetus of a T.B.C. trained worker. The influence and inspiration of our
student days lives on long after our college course is over, and we look back in
gratitude to God for those pleasant days spent in searching the Scriptures.

The Toronto Bible College has been a "day star" in my life ever since 1 became
interested in spiritual things. Many of my friends enrolled and graduated long
before I did. Their godly, fruitful lives influenced me greatly in my decision to
choose the T.B.C. course as a preparatory move toward* the ministry. I was not
disappointed in my decision. Throughout the years of study 1 learned to love the
Bible in a new way. I was thrilled as new truths were opened to me. I finished
my course more in love with Christ than ever. In these days of doubt it is gratifying
to know that the T.B.C. graduates arc preaching and upholding the truths which
have been delivered to them by a consecrated faculty, who really know and love
the verities of the faith once delivered unto the saints and through the years have
been loyal to the great fundamentals we hold so dear.

Rev. James Taylor '40, Slate River Baptist Church, Fort William, Ontario:
I would like you to imagine three T.B.C. graduates seated around a dining-room
table. The conversation is centred around a verse of Scripture and its interpre-
tation. Then someone says, "1 remember Dr. McNicol's explanation of that verse
was . . .", and thus we are carried back to the morning Bible studies in the
Assembly Hall. This is the practical help of the Toronto Bible College teaching
in the every-day life of the graduate.

Speaking as a minister of the Gospel, 1 say emphatically that 1 believe the best
preparation for the ministry of the gospel is a sound knowledge of the Bible, and
this teaching is received at T.B.C. I am also convinced that every person who is
called to the ministry of the Word and who contemplates a university course,
should take first of all three years at the Toronto Bible College. These years
will prove an invaluable help in his university life and also in his work as a pastor.
This I say, not from hearsay, but from experience; for while the university is an
excellent discipline for the mind, too often it fails to reach the heart.

As a pastor, I heartily commend and recommend the Toronto Bible College
course. It was a great joy to me to know that so many of the young people of the
Slate River Baptist Church have found their way there. I trust and pray that our
Alma Mater shall go on from strength to strength.

THE BIBLE COLLEGE RECORDER

13

tlTfje f ubilee Conference anb Eefregfjer Course

When the Jubilee of the College was
first discussed, it was felt by all who
are interested in its ministry and have
the welfare of the College at heart, that
the Alumni should have an important
part in the program. At one of its
regular meetings the Board of Gover-
nors unanimously approved this sug-
gestion, and the Alumni Association
thereafter decided to expand its annual
conference into a Jubilee Conference
and Refresher Course. It was in the
autumn of 1894 that the College
opened its doors to its first student
body, and it is fitting that in the autumn
of 1944 the College should open its
doors to the host of its graduates, who
unite to thank God for the ministry of
these fifty years.

In the first student body were to be
found representatives from all the
larger denominations, among whom
were several whose faces were turned
toward the foreign field. The early
student activities of the school were
carried out in the atmosphere of prayer
and dependence upon the leadership of
the Spirit of God. Throughout the
years these characteristics of Toronto
Bible College life have been deepened
and strengthened, until the name "Tor-
onto Bible College" has become a
synonym for the finest fellowship to be
found within the church.

Care has been taken to preserve these
features of our College life in the
Jubilee Conference. This is not to be
a noisy, self-congratulatory gathering,
but rather a solemn renewal of our
vows unto the Lord and a waiting upon
Him for guidance and approval as we
cross the threshold into the beginning
of the second half century of our ser-
vice in His Name.

The program contains the names
of recognized leaders in all the denom-
inations. They will lead us in import-
ant discussions during the days of the
Conference, and Dr. C. H. Benson of
Moody Bible Institute, a fine represent-
ative of our American cousins, will lead

us each day in a discussion of Sunday
School and Young People's work. In
addition to the Missionary Conference
to be conducted by Dr. John B.
McLaurin, missionary rallies will be
held on Tuesday and Thursday evening.
Over twenty of our graduates are at
present in this country on furlough,
and it is our hope to have each one in
attendance on the Thursday evening for
the foreign section of the Missionary
Rally.

Special conferences will be conducted
in the course of the week on the work
of the Minister. Dr. H. H. Bingham
will deal with the Minister as Evangelist,
Dr. George Pidgeon with the Minister
as Preacher, Rev. Wm. Thomas with the
Minister as Shepherd, and Canon R. A.
Armstrong with the Minister as Soul-
Winner and Counsellor.

Each day will begin with prayer. The
hour from 8 to 9 has been set aside for
this purpose, as it has throughout the
years of the ministry of the College.
From the prayer room we shall adjourn
to the Assembly Hall for the study of
the Word of God, in which we shall be
led by Dr. McNicol, who for over 40
years has led generation after genera-
tion of students in the study and mas-
tery of the English Bible.

The spirit of fellowship which has
been a marked feature of the College
life will express itself in class reunions
at 11 and 5 each day; in the dining-
room, where meals will be served at a
nominal charge (missionaries and min-
isters will be served free), and in the
Jubilee Picnic to be held on Saturday
afternoon, September 23.

The Conference will close with a
Jubilee Communion Service to be held
in Walmer Road Baptist Church on
Sunday evening, September 24, at 9
o'clock, where fifty years ago the first
classes of the College were meeting
regularly for instruction and fellowship.
The friends and supporters of the Col-
lege are cordially invited to attend all

these services. ^ . _,

D. A. B.

14

THE BIBLE COLLEGE RECORDER

NEWS OF THE T.B.C. FAMILY

BIRTHS

To Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Mills
(Gertrude Musselman, '41), at Mt.
Dennis, Ont., a son, Donald Robert
Glenn.

At Brantford on April 5 to Mr., '39,
and Mrs. Frank Phillips, a daughter,
Ruth Louise.

A son, Douglas Victor, to Mr. and
Mrs. Wm. McClelland (Dora BiUings,
'31), in Toronto on May 6.

On May 18 to Mr., '40, and Mrs. Lau-
rence K. Chubb, a son, Kenneth Richard.

On May 27 at New Credit, Ont., to
Mr., '34, and Mrs. Ulf Cronhielm
(Hazel Fulcher, '33), a daughter, Mary
Sylva.

To Mr., '40-'43, and Mrs. Andrew
Donald (Marjorie O'Brien, '43), a son,
David Andrew, on June 9, at Bancroft,
Ont.

On June 20 at Brampton, Ont., to
Rev., '35, and Mrs. H. Edgar Burritt, a
daughter.

To Mr., '39, and Mrs. Andrew Mc-
Kenzie (Isabel Robinson, '41), a daugh-
ter, Joanne Ruth, on June 20.

On August 1 to Mr. and Mrs. H.
Lane (Clara Sullivan, '36), a daughter.

MARRIAGES

In Toronto on May 12, Betty God-
frey, '39-'40, to Capt. Gordon N.
Holmes, '39.

On May 23 at Bancroft, Ont., Flor-
ence C. Davy, '18, to George A. Robin-
son.

In Calvary Church, Toronto, Laura
Marshall, '34, to Willard F. Hamilton
on June 3.

Violet Aitken, '4l-'42, to Norman
Flawn, on June 10, in Silverthorne Bap-
tist Church, Toronto. Rev. Fred
Breckon, '34, officiated, and Evelyn
Brown, '38-'39, was maid of honour.

Olive E. Turner, '42, to Arthur E.
Bazett- Jones, on June 17 in Calvary
Church, Toronto.

On June 17 in Toronto, Ethel I. Gil-
bert to L.A.C. Carman L. Eckmier, '42-
'43. Rev. Gordon W. Johnson, '33,
solemnized the marriage.

Mary B. Munro, '32-'33, to Herbert
B. Brittain in Snowdon Baptist Church,
Montreal, on June 24.

Marjorie G. Matheson, '42-'44, to
Sgt. -Pilot H. James Westman, R.C.A.F.,
on August 4 in Bethel Baptist Church,
Kelowna, B.C.

On August 8 in St. Anne's Anglican,
Toronto, Marion Florence to Rev.
George S. Honour, '39-

DEATHS

Rev. Charles G. Smith, B.D., E.C. '98,

at Moncton, N.B., on June 27. Mr.
Smith held several important pastorates
in the Baptist Convention of Ontario
and Quebec.

Mrs. B. E. Snyder (Etta J. Fletcher,
03) on February 24 in Lethbridge,
Alta. Mrs. Snyder was unable to go to
India on account, of her health, but took
an active part in missionary work at
home.

Suddenly on July 25, Mrs. T. B. Hyde,
at her summer home in Eastbourne,
Ont., where the late Mr. Hyde used to
spend the holidays. Dr. J. McNicol
conducted the funeral service.

THE BIBLE COLLEGE RECORDER

15

PERSONALS

Mrs. Wm. Windsor (Connie Brock
'22) is now in Toronto on furlough
from her field in China under the
China Inland Mission.

Marie Barham, '27, who has been in
occupied China under the China Inland
Mission, is now at Chungking, Szech-
wan. Free China.

Viola Brubacher, '26-'27, has been re-
appointed as colporteur for the British
and Foreign Bible Society in Winnipeg,
Man.

Fred Darnell, '30, has accepted a call
to the Whitby Baptist Church, Whitby,
Ont.

Minnie Hoogstad, '31, and Mrs. E. G.
Cook (Dorothy Wandland, '30-'31),
missionaries of the Sudan Interior Mis-
sion, have recently left to return to
their fields in Nigeria.

Mr., '31, and Mrs. Orville Thamer
(Ethel Neale, '30) arrived in July on
furlough from Nigeria, where they
have worked under the Sudan Interior
Mission.

Rev. D. A. Timpany, '32, has entered
the Chaplaincy Service and is now sta-
tioned at Camp Sussex, N.B.

Mr. and Mrs. Walter E. Schultz
(Marie Timpany, '33) and family are
now on furlough from their work in
Nigeria under the Sudan Interior Mis-
sion.

John Crook, '36, who has been
labouring in China under the China In-
land Mission, is home on furlough.

Helena Gibbs, '36, missionary of the
Presbyterian Mission Board, has re-
turned on furlough from Yunnan Pro-
vince, China.

Annie Soper, '36, missionary in Peru
under the Peruvian Inland Mission, has
just returned for a furlough.

Emil Gaverluk, '38, has undertaken
full-time evangelistic work in northern
New England States for the New Eng-
land Evangelistic Association.

Stephen Robinson, '38, was recently
ordained an elder in the Central Presby-
terian Church, Brantford, Ont.

Helen Dickson, '38-'39, is at her
home in Pambrun, Sask., on furlough
from her work under the Sudan In-
terior Mission.

On June 29 William Leaton, '39, was
ordained to the Baptist ministry in the
Facer Street Baptist Mission, St. Cath-
arines, Ont., where he continues as
pastor.

J. Campbell MacFarlane, '39, was or-
dained to the Baptist ministry in Jepson
Street Baptist Church, Niagara Falls,
Ont. Mr. MacFarlane is the pastor of
Glenview Baptist Mission in Niagara
Falls.

Andrew H. McKenzie, '39, is serving
during the summer on the mission field
at Holstein, Ont., under the Presby-
terian Church.

Rev. Stanley Medhurst, '39, has ac-
cepted a call to the Baptist Church at
Frobisher, Man., and begins his minis-
try there on September 1.

John D. Craig, '40, received the M.A.
degree from Boston University on May
22. Mr. Craig is continuing the pas-
torate at the Union Square Presby-
terian Church, Boston, and is entering
Princeton University in September.

R. Maxwell Warne, '40, graduated
from the Union Theological College,
Vancouver, B.C., on April 20, and re-
ceived his B.A. degree on May 12 from
the University of British Columbia. On
May 19 Mr. Warne was ordained in
the Chalmers United Church, Vancou-
ver, and he is now the pastor of Queen
Charlotte City United Church and the
Skidegate Indian Mission in British
Columbia.

Wm. Molnar, '38-'40, has accepted
a call to the Hungarian Baptist Church,
Toronto.

Rev. Ernest Heal, '40-'4l, has been
called to the Parklawn Road Taber-
nacle, Toronto.

16

THE BIBLE COLLEGE RECORDER

THE JUBILEE CONFERENCE AND REFRESHER COURSE

Tuesday, September 19, to Sunday, September 24

Full particulars in inside pages. All friends of the College invited to
attend.

The College also opens September 19

At the closing exercises of the Mis-
sionary and Deaconess Training School
of the Presbyterian Church held on
April 18, Orra Hunt, '40-'4l, received
a graduating diploma. Miss Hunt was
awarded a scholarship for general pro-
ficiency and the Alumnae scholarship as
the student showing the greatest pro-
mise as a deaconess.

On May 30 Barbara Small, '41, grad-
uated from the Salvation Army Grace
Hospital, Toronto.

Dorothy Loveday, '42, has been ap-
pointed deaconess to Central Baptist
Church, Brantford, Ont.

Robert Arnott, '44, has been awarded
the John Stuart Prize in Introductory
Greek at McMaster University,

Chas. Einwechter, '44, has accepted a
call to the Mimico Independent Baptist
Church, Mimico, Ont.

Isabel Hogan and Christine Makush,
both '44, entered the nurses' training
school at the Belleville General Hospi-
tal, Belleville, Ont., in July.

Olive Shell, '44, is completing her
course in Linguistics with the Wycliffe
Bible Translators at Bacone College,
Bacone, Oklahoma.

On May 9 George Simpson, '44, was
ordained into the Baptist ministry at

Benton Street Baptist Church, Kitch-
ener, Ont. Rev. Glen Wardell, '13,
gave the address of welcome into the
ministry. Mr. Simpson will continue
his work at the Ajax Baptist Mission.

Alice Hilyer, '43, and Phyllis Kalb-
fleisch, Gertrude McLaughlan and
James Green, all '44, are on the staff of
the Toronto City Mission Fresh Air
Camp at Bronte.

The following students have summer
pastorates under the United Maritime
Baptist Home Mission Board in N.S.:
George Hadley, '43, at Westchester;
Ferris Campbell, '44, at Mira, Cape
Breton Island; Goldie Blakeney, '44, at
Hall's Harbour; Gladys MacLean, '44,
and Dorothy Mutch, '45, at Wolfville;
Alice Gleason, '46, at Tusket.

In addition to the names already pub-
lished, the list of workers this summer
with the Canadian Sunday School Mis-
sion includes the following names: In
Manitoba — Hazel Callaghan, '45, Aileen
Chellew, '45, Lorecn Wrightson, '45,
Edna Clymer, '46, and Dulcie Bell, '46;
in the Thunder Bay District — Mary
Zimmerman, '30, "Thelma Wild, '43,
and Lydia Sorenson, '46; in the Algoma
District — Sybil Franklin, '42; in the
Peterboro District — Olga Whitmore,
'43.

MONTREAL ALUMNI CONFERENCE

September 27 — October 1
Special Speaker: Principal McNicol

For further information phone or write: Denzill Raymer, 169 Third Ave.,
Ville LaSalle; Rev. Frank Swackhammer, 1699 Graham Blvd., Mount
Royal; or Mrs. Dixon H. Gordon, 4089 Westhill Ave., Montreal.